A quick round-up of the last couple of weeks...

Headlines:

Nasara swims for bathroom after heavy rain causes floods to hallway and kitchen

Large number of houses reported as simply 'disappeared'

Attack of the ants: Nasara fights back!

New fruit in town tempts Nasara's delight, as old flame tomatoes packs up and leaves

Preparations begin and tensions are high in the run up to the Watermelon Olympics

Volunteer mutiny rocks the boat at two day meeting

Nasara wears a cardigan

Weather:

A huge storm on Saturday night threatened to freak Nasara out and send her over the edge, only days after regular scatterings of light showers had convinced her that the crazy African storms were over. It began with a bolt of lightning, and a deafening boom of thunder, and ended in two inches of water in the hallway and kitchen. Armbands at the ready!

Temperatures continue to soar and dip as the grey clouds of Ghana's rainy season knock even the hottest day out of kilter (and the possibility of doing any work too!)

Nasara left disappointed after expecting rainy morning to be a lie in and lazy start to the day - to be rudely awakened to the fact her colleagues can pick her up in the work CAR!

Nature:

Recent discovery of large piles of sand found about the house is discovered to be ants mulling about underneath the building. An interview with the landlady revealed the shocking truth 'We never thought to lay a foundation, we just built the house'. Nasara bus a large bottle of insect-repellent and resigns herself to sweeping up piles of ant-dust for the remainder of her stay.

Goats and pigs face life on a rope after District Assembly announces rule for all crop-munching animals to be bound to the nearest tree or face slaughter at the hands of hungry neighbours.

Largest number of cockroaches found lurking in the kitchen since arrival freaks Nasara out into a frenzy of swatting, stomping and running about with a broom. Post-frenzy Nasara was too flustered to comment.

Fashion:

Caught on camera - Nasara wears a cardigan! (For ten minutes. Well,., about five. In her air-con office at work). Nasara is allegedly overheard exclaiming 'it feels like home!'. You heard it here first.

Nasara develops addiction to buying colourful cloth. Rumour has it she has not yet made it to the seamstress and is at risk of suffocating under the hoards of Ghanaian fabrics piling up in her room.

Celebs:

This week's juicy gossip. Nasara is left in dismay as Tomatoes left town without a word and are nowhere to be seen. The healthy relationship she had with them is in tatters. However, the word on the grapevine is that Nasara has wasted no time in enjoying the new 'dates' in town and is now having fully blown flings with them on a daily basis. Watch this space for more updates.

Home and garden:

Houses are reported disappearing overnight. The strange phenomenon was spotted by Nasara on her way home from work just yesterday. Houses that were once dotted around the area have begun to disappear. Attempts to arrest suspicious-looking armies of ants is underway.

News update just in... Disappearing houses apparently due to the extreme growth of crops around the houses, not attack of ants s previously suspected. All arrested ants now released without charge.

Volunteering (yes I do actually do some work!):

VSO volunteers' mutiny causes confusion and threatens to de-rail plans for new strategy at two-day official VSO Ghana Education meeting. Rumours of 'too many cooks' (e.g. too many keen, motivated, problems solving, confident, professionals asked for their opinion) are rife.

Reports of strange dancing and singing at official HIV/AIDS workshop after Nasara is seen dancing about the conference hall with about 80 Ghanaians in the name of an apparent 'ice-breaker'.

Work slows down as World Vision Zebilla staff head off for a 'Spiritual Week'. Nasara is apparently not invited to this week-long event. This could have something to do with the 'is-she-is-she-not-how-could-she-possibly-not-be (a-Christian)???' confusion that currently reigns in the office.

A new word was historically coined during an important CASO meeting this week. Synergistic makes its way into the realm of new words for 2012. Also new on the linguistic scene is 'balancing patience with persistence', the new CASO volunteers strategy (basically meaning 'bite your bloomin lip and take your time!').

Travel:

Two young white females from Norway are reported to have booked tickets to Ghana. Ghanaian men on standby and red-alert in apprehension of new marriage proposal prospects.

Food:

Good news - Lovely new friend (aptly called 'Fati') brings a gift of ripe plantain to Nasara "So you can enjoy in the morning!"

Bad news - Nasara has no idea how to cook this thing!

Good news - apparently Nasara's face of shock and dismay revealed her lack of culinary skills and Fati has offered to come and show her how it's done. Phew!

Oh, that reminds me...

This week's emergency appeal:

Rumours are that the supply of nutrients (namely Cadburys chocolate) Nasara relies on for sanity and survival is after a few good weeks of choccy-munching (thanks dad, sister, Hannah!) is reaching a dangerous low. Back-up supplies of marshmallows are also becoming scarce. Fears for Nasara's health and well-being are increasing.

Sport:

As the date is set for the Watermelon Olympics, the Nasara's of Upper East limber up their jaws for the seed-spitting contest, their necks for the 'carry a melon on your head' relay, their creative skills for the 'carve-it-like-a-pumpkin' competition, and their stomachs for the 'who can eat the most the fastest?' final. (Reports are that Nasaras are slowly losing the plot.).

Leela's 'FRABRA' wins at Scrabbles new 'make your own word from these six random letters' game. The new word invented refers to the Bras of the Fra-Fra ladies who reside in Bolga Town. Word has it that it will soon be making its way into the Ghanaian English Dictionary. Nasara comes close with 'HOVZIM' (the hovering Zimmerframe recently entering the market) and 'NWARRP' (one of the strangest noises often heard in Ghana's dark of night).

Nasara goes mad and finally goes for a run! Bad news: Missed a night of dancing at Soul Train (!) due to 'early-to-bed' preparations. Good news: After running 6 miles in the early morning pre-hot-heat dawn, nasara has now overcome her fear of becoming the Pied Piper of Zebilla with a hundred children running behind her chanting 'AEEma!, 'AEEma!' the whole way, and the door is open for much a running in Zed-town! Bad news: Nasara now aches like an old man who lost his HOVZIM.

Lifestyle:

Young hip kids sport Nasara's moto-helmet (see 'in picture's) in attempt to look super-cool in it (just like she does, ha).

All night drumming is apparently the new thing in town. Right outside Nasara's window in the middle of the night it is anyway.

And on that note... (gotta try and get to sleep before it starts!)

Goodnight from Ghana,

Em

Xx